Netherlands 2, Korea 0: A Dream Come True

Why would a loss for Korea be a dream come true? Well, this was the first time I ever went to a World Cup stadium with 50,000 people cheering at the same time for their beloved national team, and my first ever International soccer match. It was a friendly at Sang-Am World Cup Stadium between the Orangemen of the Netherlands vs. the Red Devils, aka Korea. The Korean fan base was raucous and crazy then ever, but two goals by seasoned forward Rafael Van Der Vaart flattened the atmosphere pretty quick. Yet it did not stop the faithful from roaring and cheering for their favorite players.

It was such a joy to go, because my whole life I got to watch my favorite sport only on TV, tape, and Internet, but never live. Soccer in America is slowly building, especially with the new David Beckham phenomenon coming to the LA Galaxy this summer. But overall, compared to the big four of franchised sports (baseball, football, basketball, and hockey), soccer was always a fifth-tier sport, so big matches and the interest never came to the DC area (only when the US played Guatemala in a 1-0 win for the World Cup Qualifiers in 2001). I also have a general judgment that the few American people who enjoy following the game of International soccer the most are people who are open-minded and have some knowledge about the world and its geography. I truly thank the Lord for the game of soccer, because the sport itself has taught me the vast geography of places like Europe and South America. Soccer is also a language, and you can talk to any international native about the game and its players (unless you go to America of course!)

But going live to Seoul was a dream come true, and my next step is one day to go to a live World Cup match. (South Africa 2010 anyone? Let's go!)

Other than that, just to fill you in on what else that has been going on...I had a great week. In fact, my best week ever during my tenure as a Glorified Tape Recorder. I ran the classes smoothly, with the help of my co-teachers, and even twice when two of my co-teachers did not show up at all to class, I still ran the show with some ease. God has really given me some wisdom on things of what to do and not to do in the classroom so far, and the room for improvement is becoming a smaller room. I'm trying to learn my kids' names more, so I can treat them like human beings rather than numbers (many teachers just call their students by their designated student serial numbers rather than their names, so they become just lifeless robots). With classrooms filled with boys who look the same (I'm not making fun, its a fact), its hard not to just to see each class as one organism rather than a group of 40 individuals.

Also, especially after the 2 goals I bagged in my own glorious soccer history last week, I'm gaining more respect and friendship from the kids. That's a blessing too. I know there are some classes who don't particularly have fun with me (but that's on them), but for the most part, I'm starting to gain a liking for particular students and classes. Even the loud classes, I sometimes adapt and improvise the lesson to get them involved in different methods.

So, that's pretty much it, a great week of consistency thanks to God's Providence, and a great Saturday night watching a live Friendly in front 50,000 people. Could not ask for anything more special.

By the way, to test your knowledge, can you tell me who Thierry Henry is? If you do not know who he is, then that just tells me you are either an American, or if you do know who he is, an American who actually respects the Beautiful Game or another foreigner. Actually, the big name star is in Seoul right now promoting his new Reebok line.